Mark Teixeira returns to Yankees' lineup

Mark Teixeira stepped to the plate for what likely was his most anticipated batting-practice session of the season as a gaggle of reporters and the 4:55 p.m. crowd at Yankee Stadium looked on.

He dropped down a bunt. Then another and another.

The Yankees first baseman eventually did swing, taking about 15 hacks before declaring himself good to go after missing the previous two games with an injured left wrist.

Teixeira started Friday night against Seattle, playing first and batting cleanup. The wrist brace he wore Tuesday was absent.

"I didn't expect this to be too big of an issue, just a little soreness I had to take care of," said Teixeira, who went 1-for-4 in the Yankees' 6-3 win. "I didn't really move my hand for two or three days, and today I got it moving. A doctor checked it out and everything checked out pretty good."

Teixeira received a cortisone shot Tuesday after an MRI revealed only inflammation and no structural damage in the wrist. He said then that ideally, he would be well enough by Friday to take a few swings and assure manager Joe Girardi that he could play.

"We said it could be five, seven days,'' Girardi said of what once was the projected recovery time. "What has it been? Three? So this is a little bit on the quicker side.''

The switch hitter first hurt his wrist Sunday on a righthanded swing against the Red Sox. He aggravated the injury Monday while diving for a ground ball against the Orioles and eventually left the game.

He said he dealt with a similar injury in 2009, also caused by an awkward swing. He received a cortisone shot then, too, and said "it never bothered me again'' after a few days off.

Teixeira, batting lefthanded against Kevin Millwood Friday night, lined a single to right to lead off the sixth inning, two outs before Eric Chavez's two-run homer gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead.

"Tex is one of those guys that can do both -- hit for average and for thump,'' Nick Swisher said of Teixeira, who has 20 homers and leads the Yankees with 71 RBIs. "He does a doggoned good job of driving runs in and we need him in the lineup.''

Another test came in the seventh when Teixeira turned his left wrist over to scoop Chavez's one-hop throw from third base.

"Defensively, you want to make sure it's not an issue, and I do use my glove hand a lot," he said. "But defensively, there were no issues, either."